It’s festival application time again, so time to update the band bio and fill in the parts of the form which ask us to explain what we do, how, and why. There are generally three ways of doing this, essentially by dint of “Who we’ve played with”, “Who our band members used to be” and “Who we sound like” – cf “…has appeared on the bill with such bands as….”, “…former member of…” and “…influenced by….
I was minded of this earlier in the week when one Mike Scott, formerly of this parish (and self-proclaimed ‘Traveller between worlds’) took umbrage at a promoter and/or local paper listings editor describing his band as “Folk-Rock”. My first thought was “What’s he complaining about, at least he’s getting press..?” but then as I worked my way through a series of “Tell us about your music in no more than seventy five words” text boxes I wondered if he might have a point.
I know people who are promoters and agents and who have learned to cut to the chase when it comes to artist-led PR – one immediately bins anything featuringa cajon, which cuts his workload down considerably, and I understand that Joe Boyd never listens to anything which lists ‘Nick Drake’ in the accompanying bumph – and that’s before we even get to the photos of earnest-looking band members having spotted something eldritch just over and to the left of their photographer’s shoulder.
So, what’s the blurb on the poster that has grabbed you off the street, what’s immediately sent you scurrying off to wash your hair, what is the best and the worst use of PR-speak in selling you the songsters?
Please try and stay off quoting either Frank Zappa or Louis Armstrong. It’s like those people who Mark Twain-up every discussion about golf. Or Gladstone. Or The Allens.